Partners
by SoulOfAFangirl684
Summary: All Joe wanted was to finally get some sleep. He hadn't been expecting a heartfelt conversation with his new partner.


**This is just a little something I threw together while rewatching some of the early Digimon episodes. It's a little more drabble-ish than a lot of the one-shots I've been writing lately, but I wanted to write something about Joe… I really liked the contrast between Joe and Gomamon and the way that they didn't take to each other right away like some of the other partner pairs did. Sometimes I feel like I'm the only Digimon fan who was a fan of Joe… I don't see a lot of fics on here about him. So I guess it's up to me to remedy that!**

 **On a more technical note, this is set somewhere very early on in the series, before the kids meet Devimon.**

 **Partners**

Joe didn't think he was ever going to get used to nights in the Digital World. The digital crickets never stopped chirping. The ground was always too hard. The chill always managed to seep into his bones. Come to think of it, maybe it was camping in general that he didn't like.

But it wasn't only his surroundings that were getting to him. No matter where they ended up settling down, it was always too crowded. For someone who had never even had to share a room before coming to camp, it was hard to get used to constantly having company. Not that he would want to be lost in this world alone, of course.

However, children were resilient. Even children like Joe, who were nearly adults and thought of themselves as such. He'd gotten used to the presence of the other kids and their Digimon. There was just one thing he couldn't get around.

Joe shifted his head for the millionth time that night. It was late. He was tired. He wanted to roll over completely and stretch out some of his cramping muscles, but that was kind of difficult when his newly-appointed 'best friend' was currently acting as dead weight on his chest.

Joe heaved a sigh, trying not to linger on his current inability to take a deep breath. He knew the Digimon saw themselves as protectors, but he wished Gomamon didn't insist on being so _close_. Gomamon's ear tickled his nose, and no matter what Joe did, he couldn't get the Digimon's fur away from his face. And he was pretty sure he was allergic to Digimon fur.

He was the only one still awake, and his own exhaustion was starting to wear on him. He likened Gomamon's weight to an anchor in his mind, and the sudden claustrophobia only made things worse. He started thinking of sinking into dark, ocean depths and his breathing increased.

Joe wasn't sure if it was the sound of his ragged breathing or the movement of his heaving chest that finally woke Gomamon. "…Joe? What's going on?"

"Just… Get off of me!" He finally shoved him off, though Gomamon was already sliding off anyway. Joe sprung up, and the impact of hitting the ground, finally woke up his Digimon.

Gomamon shook his head to clear away any lasting grogginess and said, "Jeez, Joe. What was that for?"

"You were smothering me!" Joe accused, then lowered his voice when some of the other Digidestined began stirring. "Why do you always have to sleep _on top_ of me? I can't breathe like that!"

"It's my job to protect you, Joe. I'm your partner."

"No one else's partner suffocates them while they're trying to sleep!"

"Hmph! Well, excuse me for caring!"

There was a moment of silence as Joe caught his breath, letting go of the hysteria he was so familiar with. Gomamon still looked a little huffy, but the late hour was getting to both of them. Slowly, Joe lay back down, and he noticed that Gomamon gave him some space this time. Though he still cuddled up to his neck, Joe found this position to be much more comfortable.

He had almost drifted off when he heard, "Hey, Joe."

"What is it? Tomorrow's going to be another long day. I need to get some sleep."

"Never mind then…"

"Gomamon, _what_?"

"I'm, uh… I'm sorry for snapping at you."

"O-oh." Joe wasn't sure what to say. He hadn't known his partner for very long, but he did know that Gomamon was stubborn as well as wild. They clashed often, but his Digimon rarely apologized.

"Something's been bothering me," Gomamon said suddenly, after they'd settled into silence again.

Joe almost smiled. Gomamon wasn't very good with silence. And he wasn't any better at keeping his troubles bottled up inside. "What is it?"

"It's just… What happens after you find a way home?"

"What do you mean what happens after?" Joe asked. "We all go back to our lives."

"The seven of you humans do, you mean." His voice was a tad impatient.

"Well, the seven of you Digimon will go back to whatever you were doing, too."

"But, Joe, I've spent my whole life waiting to be with _you_."

Joe was quiet, processing this. The other Digimon had said something similar when they'd first been introduced, if he remembered correctly. It sounded like the Digimon's entire purpose in life was to protect them. Which meant, once they finally did find some way to return home, they would have no purpose. It seemed like a sad way to live.

"Huh… I hadn't thought of that. And if that's true… Why are you guys so eager to help us if the end goal is to leave you alone again?"

Gomamon turned to give him a sharp look as if the question was insulting. "Joe! I'm your partner! That means it's my job to help you, no matter what the problem is!"

Gomamon settled back into Joe's shoulder after his little outburst, but Joe continued to stare down at him.

Until now, Joe couldn't say he'd been overly fond of the fuzzy little aquatic thing that had attached itself to him. Gomamon was annoyingly jokey and took too many risks. But now he seemed almost overwhelmingly loyal and selfless too.

"Gomamon… Thanks."

"Aw, you don't have to thank me, Joe."

He couldn't see the Digimon's face, but Joe was pretty sure his new friend was blushing.

 **Review please!**

 **I don't own Digimon!**

 **Wow. I haven't written a Digimon one-shot since my very first one-shot! Speaking of, this little fic was a lot more dialogue-heavy than the ones I've been writing recently... But I'm still pleased with the way it turned out. This ended up being a bit darker than I'd originally intended too, but I got to thinking about what a rotten deal the Digimon got in the grand scheme of things, part of the reason this one-shot came to life in the first place. I have a feeling I'll be returning to this fandom again soon, but until the plot bunnies attack again… So long! I hope you enjoyed this!**


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